Hunter X Trust
by Lunamon810
Summary: When Amber Reed and Clary Kitsune go to the Hunter Exam, they have no idea what to expect. But because Clary wanted to go, Amber promised to follow. And no matter what, she wasn't backing out.
1. Arrival X Weakness X Deception

**Hey guys, Lunamon810. With the first chapter of the psychoticness Latina Shewolf and I came up with, Hunter X Trust. This isn't a crossover, but a Hunter X Hunter fanfiction using five of the OC's from Digimon: The Crest of Trust. Don't worry, you have to know absolutely nothing about the other story to understand this one. We just thought it would be fun to see our OC's from it in this world. So yeah. Also, I'm basing this on the 1999 anime, though I went ahead and made Hisoka's hair red for the sake of not having to have it randomly change to red in the story. So yeah. **

**Also sometimes I had to just kinda paraphrase, because if I honestly used all the dialogue, this would be a choppy mess. So yeah. Hope you enjoy~**

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Amber Reed and Clary Kitsune walked up to the tiny restaurant they'd been led to, being told it was the exam hall. A lady turned and smiled at the two girls, Amber having mid-back length brown hair, Clary shoulder length black. "Good afternoon." Amber and Clary smiled and nodded. Clary looked at Amber, who nodded and walked up to the man who was cooking. "Excuse me, sir?" The man raised his eyebrows. "We'll have the steak combo."

The man smirked just slightly. "How would you like it done?"

"Grilled over low flame." She turned to Clary to make sure she'd recited what she was told to say right, and Clary nodded.

"Alright, you can go ahead and take a seat." The two nodded, and the lady who greeted them led them to a small, empty room. A boy with white hair tagged in along behind them, Amber having heard him make the same order as them. Amber and Clary's navigator, who'd gotten hurt before, came in a moment later.

"Thank you for letting me rest, girls. Here." He tossed them their badges, Amber's 97 and Clary's 98. He looked at the boy, and tossed him 99. "Your navigator failed to make it?" He nodded, and then the navigator did too. The navigator nodded at Clary and Amber. "Good luck ladies. See you next year."

"Don't count on it." Amber said, and he smiled and closed the door. A moment later the floor started sinking down, catching Amber and Clary slightly off guard, but the boy just stood there. Amber blinked. He was wearing a long sleeved maroon turtleneck with a white vest-like shirt over it, and some type of shorts, with boots. How was he not burning up? The room kept sinking for a few minutes.

"So, have you been to the Hunter Exam before?" Amber asked, looking at the other boy, though she was getting an odd feeling from him. The boy looked at her and shook his head just slightly, then looked away, looking bored. Amber looked at Clary, who shrugged, smiling. A minute later, the floor stopped moving, and the wall opened up. The three walked out into the dark tunnel that it opened into. Many people stood around, looking quite serious about what they were doing. Most of them stared at the three newcomers, until the boy disappeared into the shadows.

"Jeeze, they aren't kiddin' about the exam, are they?" Amber said, looking at Clary, who shook her head.

"Well, the exam isn't a joke, it's quite dangerous. I'm Tompa, number 16." A man said, looking at them and smiling, sending chills down the two girls spines, but they smiled anyways.

"I'm Amber, and this is my best friend Clary."

"Nice to meet you. So, this is your first year, right?"

"Uh, yeah. How'd you know?" Amber asked, blinking.

"Eh, I just know. This is my 35th time in the Exam, so I'd know if you were here before. So if you have any questions, feel free to ask."

"Thirty-five times?" Clary asked, slightly shocked. "How come you haven't passed?"

"The exam isn't as easy as you think, very few people make it, though over a million applicants try each year. Most don't even make it to the first phase though, which is where we are right now. Though it hasn't started yet, and we have no idea what's coming."  
"Shouldn't you know if you've been here so many times?" Amber asked, tilting her head curiously.

"No, the exam changes every year. It's never the same as last time. That would make it too easy for those who'd been in the exam before, and give them an unfair advantage against the rookies." The two girls nodded. Many, many more people came in. It ended at the 405th applicant, who came in with 403 and 404, and seemed to be friends with each them. He was a kid who looked about Amber's age, 12, with spikey black hair and brown eyes, wearing greed clothes trimmed in orange. Number 404 had blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing white training suit under a blue and orange tabard. He looked about 17. Then there was number 403, who wore a business suit with teashade sunglasses, having black spiked crew cut hair and brown eyes. He looked about Clary's age, 19.

After 403, 404, and 405 talked to Tompa for a few minutes, they all heard a scream. Amber and Clary looked over to see a man in some type of jester-like suit with bright red hair. When he turned they saw had face paint, a maroon star on his right cheek and a spring green teardrop on his left.. The man against the wall seemed freaked out, and the jester-man had a playing card in his hand. Standing close to Tompa and the new applicants, they could hear them talking. "Ugh, that maniac is back again this year."

"Maniac?" Amber asked.

"Again?" Clary said, looking at Amber.

"Number 44, Hisoka the magician. The rumor was last year that he already pretty much passed the exam until he was expelled for killing an examiner he didn't like.. On top of that he apparently took out 20 other applicants along the way. If I were you, I wouldn't go anywhere near him." Clary and Amber nodded, looking at each other.

"Then how is someone like that allowed back again this year?"

"Ah. They change the examiners every year, and they decide what the tests are like and who gets to take 'em. An examiner can pass anyone, no matter how evil they are. Even the devil. That's just the way things are." Amber whimpered slightly, suddenly scared. Number 405 looked over her and smiled.

"Hey, don't worry. Just don't go near him or get in his way, I'm sure you'll be fine!" The kid said, and Amber smiled slightly, and Clary patted her shoulder as a buzzer went off, causing Amber not to notice Hisoka look over at the group. They all looked to the source of the buzzer-bell-thing, and saw someone lowering from the ceiling, holding a crazy-faced thing that set off the noise. The man had purple hair and wore a purple suit, with a mustache.

"As of this moment the exam is closed to any further applicants." People stepped out of his way so his feet could make contact with the floor. "I would like to officially welcome everyone here to the Hunter Exam." Everyone stood staring at him.

"Alright! Finally, it's gonna get started!" 405 said, and Amber smiled just slightly.

403 adjusted his tye. "Ah man, I can't believe I'm actually getting nervous."

"Come with me." The man who'd came down from the ceiling said, turning and starting to walk away. "Let me take a moment to remind you all that the Hunter Exam is extremely demanding. If you're unprepared, or unlucky, you may be severely injured, or even killed." This sent chills down Amber's spine, not liking the idea of dying. But she was here for Clary, and she wouldn't be backing out.

"Ahh, somebody help me!" The man that Hisoka had been dealing with called, though 99 just walked away from him.

"If you are alright with accepting those risks, then you may continue following me. " Slowly the group of people Amber and Clary stood with started walking.. 99 turned back and looked at Gon, which made Amber wonder why, but she didn't say anything. Everybody followed who Amber and Clary assumed were the examiner. "Very well then, The number of applicants is four hundred and four. At least for now." The man in the wall was abandoned, Amber and Clary would have helped but didn't know how, and couldn't risk being left behind, nor messing with something Hisoka did.

Amber and Clary stuck close to the last three to come in, for reasons they did not know. Number 403 looked around. "I guess I should have expected it, but no one backed out yet. I'd hoped there might be a few." The examiner started walking faster.

"Hey what's-" 405 said, interrupted by Tompa.

"Figured it out yet?" Tompa asked, and the examiner got a good twenty or thirty feet ahead of the crowd, and everyone started running to keep up.

"So this is how it's starting this year." Tompa said. They all turned to look at him. "The first phase of the exam has just begun."

"Sorry for the delay, allow me to introduce myself." The examiner said, and they all turned to look forward again. "I'm Satotz, and I'm the examiner for the first phase. I am also the one who's leading you to the site of the second phase." Several somewhat shocked noises came from the other applicants, though Amber and Clary just kept going without making a noise other than their feet., though Amber's were becoming quieter by the second, especially as her speed increased. "Some of you may have already realized it. Keeping up with me until we reach the second phase, is in fact, the first phase."

"So we know the examiner's name, what's yours?" Amber asked, looking at 403.

"I'm Gon!" He said, grinning. "And these are my friends Leorio and Kurapika." 405 nodded at the first name, 404 at the second. "What's your name?"

"I'm Amber, and this is Clary," Amber said, motioning towards her friend, who smiled at them and nodded.

They ran for quite a bit. "How long do you think we've been running?" Gon asked.

"It's been about thirty minutes so far." Tompa replied, sounding slightly out of breath, though for reasons unexplained to anyone else, Amber was fine. And though she didn't know why, so was Clary.

"What a weird test." Gon said.

"Actually, it's designed to test our physical endurance." Kurapika said. "And more."

"You noticed that too huh?" Tompa responded.

"Noticed what?" Gon asked curiously.

"We have to keep running, and running. But we don't know how far or how long. It causes a lot of mental fatigue too. Just gotta keep going. This is a psychological test as much as it is a physical one. "

"Ah-ha!" Gon said.

"Mmm. That's fine by me. I can keep up with that guy all the way." Leorio said, clenching his fist confidently.

"Hey, uh, Tompa!" Gon said. Tompa wiped his eyesbrows and looked at Gon. "Since this is your thirty-fifth try at this, you must know a lot of these other guys by now.

Tompa smiled. "Kind of."

"Tell me about them. I bet they all must be really interesting!" Amber and Clary paid attention to Tompa's explanation of the guys around them. 103 was a snake charmer who never forgets an enemy. 76 was a martial artist who never loses. 255 was a strong, smart wrestler. 197, 198, and 199 were three brothers who fight together as a team. 384 was a huntsmen who could take down any creature with a blow gun and a club.

"Wow, they all sound so great."

"Don't worry about it, all that matters is you pass." Leorio said to Gon.

"Well, it's also important that we know their skills, because in dire situations you need to know who you should get help from, who you should leave alone, who you can risk making angry, who you need as an ally, etc." Amber said, looking over at them. "The Hunter Exam seems like the kind of place the lone wolf can work, but so can the wolf pack. Each way has it's ups and downs. For example, Hisoka. If you attacked by him, mostly likely you're going to need help, and being a lone wolf would be bad. However, if you were in an alliance with him and he backstabbed you, you're finished."

"Well yeah, but still." Leorio said, sounding slightly annoyed. A minute later number 99 passed them on his skateboard, as if they weren't even there.

"Wow, that's cool!" Gon said.

"Hey you, kid on the skateboard! That's not fair, you're cheating!" Leorio protested, and Amber's eye twitched at that.

"Hey, what's your name? How old are you?" Gon asked.

The boy ignored Gon's questions and somewhat glared at Leorio from the corner of his eye. "So what makes you think I'm cheating?"

"Well duh, it's an endurance test!"

"Not exactly. The examiner said to follow him, but he didn't say how." Gon said, and Amber nodded.

"That's right, there's no rule stated saying that he can't use his skateboard, suit-boy. You'd be fine with it if you had the skateboard, not that I think you could ride it."

"Gon! Who's your friend, me or him? And stay out of this, Amber!" Leorio said, angry.

"There friends." The boy said quietly, no one else seemed to noticed but Amber though.

"Quit yelling, you're only wasting energy." Kurapika said, then added. "And it's annoying. We're allowed to bring whatever we want to the exam. Tompa started to offer his help to Killua, but stopped seeing the look Killua was giving him. Killua slowed down to be at the same speed as them, going in between Gon and Amber.

"What's up?" Gon asked, smiling.

"You asked... what my name was?"

"Yeah! Well you don't have to tell me if you don't feel like it. I'm Gon, and I'm twelve." Amber blinked. So she was right, Gon was her age.

"Gon... twelve years old." Killua said, then bent down and brought his skateboard out from under him, easily transitioning to walking.

"Hey, you're not using that anymore?" Gon asked, but was once again brushed off by the boy.

"Hey mister, how old are you?"

"Mister!? I'm not that much older than you guys, I'll have you know!"

"No way!" Gon said, along with Tompa.

"Not you too Gon! Just for that I won't talk to you ever again." Leorio said, and Amber growled, rolling her eyes, then looking at Clary.

"Unbelievable." Kurapika said.

"He looks about your age, Clary. What do you think, his he 19?" Amber asked, and Clary nodded.

"I think so, he seems about the right height and all. Though he acts like a nine year old, ten years younger then his real age." Leorio growled annoyedly.

"Shut up you! Anyways, Amber, I'll have you know I can skateboard just fine! I bet you're the one around here who'd fall of and scrape herself up." Amber laughed, as did Clary.

"You wanna bet? Hey kid, can I see that, just for a second? I won't break it, I promise. I just need to show mister 'Lay here how wrong he is." Leorio growled, not pleased with his nickname, but the kid shrugged and handed her the skateboard. Amber grinned and carefully tossed it down in front of her, jumping on and skateboarding easilyfor a minute, then jumping off and flipping it into her hands, handing it back to the boy. "Thanks." She grinned satisfactorily at Leorio.

Soon, Amber noticed 187 falling behind. She shrugged it off and kept running for quite a while. Gon continued to wonder who number 99 was, and Leorio continued to express his discontent for him. Amber and Clary continued on, Clary noticing how their footsteps were silent, wondering how and why, but not questioning it allowed. She figured they just walked differently than everyone else and shrugged it off. Amber knew why hers were like that, but didn't tell anyone, and didn't question why Clary's were, knowing she didn't know. Tompa talked about how he thought the boy's eyes were scary, and Leorio didn't fail to try to convince them to forget about the boy.

There were two tunnels, and everyone went through the left one, though Amber and Gon both noticed a sweet scent coming from the one on the right. Neither of them could pinpoint what it was though, so they pretty much let it go. After about three hours the tunnel split again. Kurapika wondered how much longer they could keep running, and Amber looked at Clary, wondering the same thing. "You still doing alright?"

Clary nodded. "I'm fine. Are you?"

Amber grinned and nodded, giving her best friend a thumbs up. "Never better." She took a whiff of the air, wondering if the sweet smell was back with the oncoming second tunnel. "Hey, that sweet smell is back."

"She's right." Gon nodded. "I noticed it too."

"It smells like some kind of sap to me." Tompa said, and Clary nodded.

"I agree, it's that kind of sweet, not like a desert sweet, some type of sap." They turned and looked at Leorio, because he started panting hard.

"Are you okay?" Gon asked, and Clary looked worriedly at him. Leorio looked lost in thought, and slowed down quite a bit. He stopped and dropped his suitcase, bending over. "Leorio!" Gon stopped and ran back, Amber stopping to watch, though Clary ran over to help him, Amber not quite sure what to do, go on or help him.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Killua asked. Gon looked at him. "He's finished, so just leave him behind."

"Come on, you don't know that! Besides, I can't just leave him. He's my friend!"

"You can't just leave your friends behind." Clary said quietly, putting a hand on Leorio's shoulder and bending over, starting to try to encourage him to go on, making sure he was okay.

"Your friend?" Killua asked, his eyes widening slightly.

"Uh-huh!" Gon said. "That's what I said."

"I'm not giving up." Leorio said, and Clary took a step back as he started straightening up. "I came here to become a hunter and that's what I'm gonna do!" Leorio said, charging forwards.

"Hey, take it easy, you need a break." Tompa said, he and Kurapika having joined them.

"Shut up!" Leorio said. "If you're just gonna stand around here I'll leave you... in my... dust." He said, panting and bending over again. "Aw great! Now my legs won't move."

"So you're not just in it for the money." Kurapika said.

"No, it's all about the money. There is no other reason." Leorio said, still panting hard.

"There's no time to argue about this, What do you think we should do now, Tompa?" Gon asked, looking at the man, who put his hand on his chin, holding his elbow in his other hand.

"Hmm... Wait a sec, that smell!" Everyone looked at him, Amber tilting her head slightly. "Do you remember? There was a sweet smell coming from that tunnel! Hey, I think it might help you recuperate!"

"Huh? What was that?" Leorio asked, turning his head to look at him. Amber looked at Clary and raised her eyebrows, wondering if she knew anything about it. Clary shrugged, shaking her head, confirming she didn't.. Amber blinked, since Clary knew so much about medicine and such.

"I thought I recognized the smell, I'm pretty sure it's the sap of the healing cedar tree."

"Yeah. The sap is used by hunters who become exhausted in the forest. All you have to do is smell the aroma for a while and you can recover enough strength to keep on going." Tompa had Leorio being stabilized by his shoulder, and started dragging him alone.

Kurapika stopped him. "Wait a minute. It could be a trap."

"Maybe. That is possible. But we can't just leave him behind now can we? It's just a chance we're gonna have to take."

"Yes but-"

"I'm king of the flunkies, do you know why I've failed the exam thirty-four times? I'm a sucker for anyone who needs my help." Kurapika, Gon, Amber, and Clary gasped.

"Tompa-" He cut Gon off.

"It's okay. Once Leorio recovers, we'll catch up to you. Promise."

"I'm sorry Tompa." Leorio said somewhat weakly, and Amber looked at Clary who was now standing next to her. "Gon, Kurapika, don't worry about me. Go for it!"

"Leorio, I can't-" Once again Gon was cut off.

"Didn't you hear what I said, get moving!" Gon's look saddened, and Amber put a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll go with them, I'll make sure he makes it back, I promise." Amber said, knowing that's what Clary wanted to do.

"Don't you worry, I'll take good care of him. It's not for nothing I've done this thirty-four times. I've learned how to avoid the usual traps and stuff. Now you should be going." Gon swung his fishing rod and hooked the hook around Leorio's handle, and reeled it back in, almost in one swift movement. Killua's mouth opened just slightly, though Amber wasn't sure if it was in amazement or not.

"Alright. Thanks, for helping him." Gon said, handing Tompa the briefcase.

"Yup." Tompa nodded, and started walking away. Amber and Clary nodded at the others, then each other, then followed him and Leorio, who Tompa was helping walk. They soon found themselves looking at the guy from before, Nicholas, with his laptop, in tears, going on about it not being possible that he would drop out. Amber recalled how he was a jerk to Tompa earlier, and was slightly shocked when he said he would help him without even being asked, but was glad Tompa did so, as was Clary.

Adriane Rosen and Demi Graves had noticed Tompa walking with Leorio, having stopped take a break since Adriane had a hurt ankle from before they got to the exam. Demi got an odd feeling, so they followed them, unnoticed. Demi crossed her arms and looked at Adriane. "What do you think?"

"I think something definitely doesn't seem right here. We should see what he's up to." Adriane said, nodding. The two followed as quietly as they could, determined to be unnoticed. They all eventually made it to a room, where the smell was strong, and trees grew along the walls.

Tompa sat Nicholas and Leorio down. "There. Now just stay here and rest for a little while. And in no time you'll be feeling a lot worse because you'll both have flunked out." He said and started backing up, grinning, Amber and Clary darting to the sides, scared of what he might do. Adriane and Demi pressed against parts of the wall where none of trees touched.

"What did you say!?" Leorio demanded.

"What's going on here!?" Nicholas demanded, both of them still very weak.

"You know, I have another nickname, and I've kinda taken a liking to it." He said, still backing up cautiously. "They call me Tompa the rookie crusher!"

"You creep! What have you done!?" Leorio demanded, his anger fueling him enough so his voice wasn't so weak. "What is this place!?"

"You'll find out soon enough, see ya!" He said and started running away, and though the two on the ground tried to stop him, they were too weak to stand up. Nicholas suddenly looked traumatized, and wouldn't respond to Leorio, Clary, or Amber, Demi and Adriane still hiding. Nicholas screamed, making the others stiffen a bit.

Amber looked at Clary. "What do we do now? What is this stuff?" Amber asked. "Have you figured it out?"

"No, I haven't. And we need to do something fast, but I don't think we can get them out of her quick enough ourselves." Clary said urgently, looking worriedly at the two. Amber bit her lip and started trying to figure a way out of the mess. Adriane bit her lip, and opened her mouth to say something, but Demi put a fingers to hers, motioning they needed to stay quiet for now. She wanted to be there to help in case Tompa came back, now determined to make sure he flunked again.


	2. Hallucination X Fake Examiner X Hisoka

**Hey guys, Lunamon810 here, with chapter two. If you're wondering, yes, I am uploading these fast, but that's what happens when you have no life and think about a story you want to write for two days then write it with nothing else to do. So, that's all, and enjoy~**

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Amber and Clary sat on the ground, Clary next to Nicholas and Clary next to Leorio. Nicholas kept saying things about shutting up, that he wasn't going to drop out, obviously hearing something that they weren't. Amber and Clary kept trying to break through to him, but to no avail. He kept saying things about not being a dropout, looking terrified. For the second time, he laid back and screamed. Leorio stood up. "What's going on here..." He stopped and looked over his shoulder, as if seeing something they didn't. He said a name they didn't quite catch, then started walking deeper into the tunnel.

Gon and Kurapika came running down the hall, and Adriane and Demi stepped out in front of them, stopping them. Adriane shook her head. "Don't go in there, it's a trap. It seems Nicholas and Leorio have been hallucinating for the past few minutes. We're far enough away for it not to affect us now, go any further and you'll probably suffer the same fate." Adriane said, having heard their names earlier, the number 96 on her badge, 95 on Demi's.

"No way! I'm not stopping until I find Leorio and help him!" Gon said pushing them aside. Adriane and Demi stared after him and Kurapika, who followed behind. the two sighed and ran after them, hoping they could help them. The four stopped when they saw Nicholas. "Nicholas what's wrong!? What happened to you?" Nicholas laughed some drained, deranged type of laugh as he started pushing himself up, turning his head to look at them, still laughing. He kept laughing as he stood up and walked away.

Kurapika looked at Gon. "Lets go, we've go to find Leorio." Kurapika said.

"Yeah." Gon agreed, and Adriane and Demi hesitated before following them.

Amber squeaked and moved to the right, avoiding the whip of her suddenly materializing dad. She shook her head, confused. Weren't her parents assassinated on a mission? Some part of her mind told her what happened to Nicholas and Leorio was happening to her, but slowly that was fading away. Clary looked at her, as she stood up and started dodging the whip that wasn't there at a rapid rate. Clary blinked and screamed when she heard a whip hit next to her, jumping up and backing away from the image of her own dad.

Gon called for their friend when they heard him scream, picking up the pace alongside Kurapika. Adriane and Demi followed behind, determined to make sure they made it alright. Suddenly Kurapika stopped, and the two stopped behind the frozen blonde haired boy, blinking hard. Demi was a good half a foot taller than him, the same age as Clary and Leorio, where as Adriane was the same height and age as Gon. Adriane slowly walked a fair distance in front of him, not knowing what he might do, noticing his eyes went blank. He suddenly seemed traumatized, like Nicholas had, but calmer somehow. He pulled out his swords and crossed them in the air in front of him. "The Phantom Troupe."

"Huh? Kurapika?" Gon said, sounding extremely worried. Kurapika closed his eyes, bending his head forward just slightly, and when he brought it back up, his eyes opened, and were now scarlet.

"Oh no... Please don't do it...!" Kurapika fell to his knees, and Adriane and Demi looked at each other.

"The hallucinations." Demi said, and Adriane nodded. "They got to him too."

"What's going on!?" Gon asked worriedly, and Demi and Adriane pinched their noses, not wanting to smell the sweet smell anymore, afraid of what they might hallucinate. Kurapika kept his head bent forward, dead to the world. "Kurapika, can you hear me!? Kurapika!" Kurapika bent forward so his face nearly touched the ground, and all three got on their knees around him. "Hey, are you alright?" Gon asked, rubbing his friend's back. Kurapika pretty much laid down.

"Make... them stop... please... leave..." Kurapika said distantly, sounding worried and scared. Demi looked at Adriane, swallowing hard.

"What do we do?" Adriane asked, scared of what might happen if they all didn't get out of there soon.

"I'm not sure, but we have to do something. He's obviously scared, and we need to get him out of here, or find a way to snap him out of it. Fast." Gon put Kurapika over his shoulder and started walking.

"Come on... hang in there..." Gon said, though the older boy remained dead to the world, his eyes still scarlet. The two girls folllowed behind, keeping their noses closed. After a few minutes Kurapika started struggling, grabbing for something that wasn't there. Gon stopped, trying to keep a hold on him. Kurapika eventually fell from Gon's shoulder, and Demi and Adriane stopped and turned towards the noise of the white haired boy's skateboard. He suddenly jumped off of it and kicked Kurapika in the head, hard enough to send him flying. Kurapika pushed himself up, and when he looked up at Killua they could see his eyes were blue again.

Gon rushed over. "Kurapika?" Kurapika started pushing himself up onto his knees.

"Gon."

"Good, you're finally back to normal. But, uh," The four looked at Killua.

"There is no healing cedar tree. The sap comes from the tree of hallucination. It's been used by assassins for a long time. It makes the victims reexperience the worse events of their lives. It eventually drives them insane.

"How'd you know that?" Gon asked, and Demi and Adriane looked at each other and swallowed hard. They really didn't want to reexperience what they'd been through.

"So that means Tompa must of..." Kurapika said, looking at Killua.

"Yeah. That's right. He set you guys up." Killua confirmed, and Kurapika growled, looking quite mad, and Gon looked at him.

"We should go."

"Sure, okay. I think I know a way we can save the guy you were with and catch up with the group again in a single move. A game's no fun unless you take some risks."

"I'm glad we met up again. Are you gonna tell me your name now?" Gon asked, and Demi and Adriane looked back at them. Killua looked away from the direction that led further into the tunnel.

"Killua."

Amber and Clary were still dodging whips. Amber screamed and jumped back at the same time Clary did, and the two knocked into each other, hard. They fell to the ground and looked at each other, snapped out of their daze, their parents disappearing. They blinked hard, and Amber's eyes widened, punching her fist into her hand. "That's it! It's hallucination sap." Clary blinked hard at her. "It's something- Never mind. It's this type of sap that can be used to make people go through the worst times of their lives again." Clary nodded.

"Killua." Gon said, and Killua nodded to confirm it was his name. "Okay Killua. Tell us your idea." Killua pulled a grey object out of his pocket for the other four to see.

"It's a bomb. Small, but effective."

"That's a bomb?" Gon asked, obviously shocked.

"Lets blow up this wall, and of the disgusting sap covering it." He said, saying disgusting as if it was poison. He tossed it in the air and caught it again, smiling.

Tompa ran through a crowd of fallen applicants, stomping on one's back as he went, shoving another out of the way. Carter stayed clear, worried of what he would do, and having no plans of dropping out now. The seventeen year old made a not to draw what it all looked like later, the tunnel, all the people there. Tompa paid no attention to her as he went on, and as soon as he was a safe distance away she picked up the pace.

Killua blew up the wall, and on the way of being somewhat blasted on, Gon hooked his arm around Leorio and brought him with them, snapping him out of the daze. Amber and Clary stood up and and ran in the direction of the noise, coming out of the smoking hole a few seconds later, joining the other six, including Demi and Adriane.

"It worked. Not the easiest way to travel, but fast. I guess there's no turning back now." Kurapika said, smiling a bit. Leorio sat up and rubbed his head, making some noise of pain that made Amber giggle, since it sounded like he was making monkey noises. He looked at the others, such as Gon who was laying on his back, grinning at him.

"Huh? Gon? Kurapika? Amber? Clary? Uh... Peitro?" He looked confused, looking at them all.

"You were hallucinating as a result of inhaling the sap. Tompa fooled us all." Kurapika said as Gon sat up.

"Hallucinating? So that's what is was," He looked at them all, mostly Kurapika and Gon though. "Looks like I owe you guys one for saving my butt. But how did you manage to avoid it?"

Adriane and Demi finally realized they could unplug their noises and did so, as Amber and Clary shook their heads. "We didn't."

"It was a close call for me."

"I was fine! I didn't feel a thing!"

"I guess it wouldn't work on you since you're still a kid. You don't have any problems yet." Amber and Clary looked at each other and said quietly in unison.

"Not necessarily."

"Hey old man, we don't have time to sit around chatting." Killua said, smiling slightly. Leorio looked him.

"Old man, I- What are you-"

"His name's Killua." Gon explained.

"Ready for the next round?" Killua asked, three more bombs in between his fingers, giving off a click.

"What was that? I heard a click." Killua tossed them, and they exploded.

"They're bombs!?"

Carter ran not too far behind Tompa, trying to figure out what he was up to so she could avoid it. Two men looked at him. "Hey Tompa, where you been?"

"Been crushing rookies again?"

Tompa huff-laughed. "Yeah, what else is there to do."

"Heh, I wouldn't mess with ya." The second man said, and Carter silently agreed. She didn't need any trouble, she just needed to get through this thing as smoothly as possible. Everyone stopped when the tunnel started shaking. Carter looked over at the wall it seemed to be coming from, and heard the somewhat cocky bald ninja say something.

"What? Are they digging a tunnel or something?" The wall started glowing and soon gave away with a blast, leaving a red glow on the walls as chunks of the broken one flew everywhere, Carter bringing her arms up to cover her face, her sketchbook safe in her backpack. Killua soared in his skateboard, Gon jumping in after him with his fishing rod holding Leorio's suitcase, Kurapika coming in after him, and Leorio coming in upside down from the blast. Demi, Adriane, Amber, and Clary all landed with ease. Smoke filled the room, making many people cough as the glow faded as quick as it came.

"What exactly is going on here?" Satotz demanded. Gon landed on his knees and hands, and as the smoke cleared away, Satotz looked at him. He laughed nervously and brought one hand up to scratch the back of his head.

"Uhh... I'm sorry but, we had to break through the wall."

Satotz looked forwards again. "I never said you couldn't destroy the walls. But tell me. How is it that you survived after wandering down the tunnel of hallucination? I'm quite impressed."

"I can't believe it." Tompa said, astonished. "Where'd they get the rookies from this year anyway?"

Leorio turned to look at Tompa and started stomping his way, looking pissed. Carter took a step back, watching in silence. "How dare you!" He grabbed Tompa by the front of his shirt and pulled him up slightly. "I've got a score to settle with you!"

"Stop it Leorio," Gon said, and Leorio turned his head to look at him.

"No way! Doesn't this guy just piss you off!?"

"The test always has obstacles to overcome." Kurapika reminded him, and Amber and Clary nodded, slightly scared from Leorio's anger. Leorio released Tompa and stomped back over, though Demi was suddenly behind Tompa and gave him a harsh kick to the back before returning Adriane, and the two fell just behind the other six as they started running again.

"How did she get behind me so quickly?" Tompa wondered. Gon thanked Killua as they went, and Amber and Clary nodded, intending their thanks too.

"I wasn't helping you. I told you, this is just a game to me." Before Gon could respond, Satotz looked over his shoulder at the still fair sized group of people that followed him.

"Well everyone, we're almost to the final stretch. I'm going to pick up the pace." Most of the crowd put off noises of discontent, though Adriane, Demi, Clary, and Amber just picked up the pace without a second thought.

Clary listened as Leorio explained what he hallucinated about, taking his shirt off and tying it around his waist along the way, panting heavily. Kurapika continued on next to him. "I see, so you were lying to us before." He said, sounding slightly satisfied with it.

"I wasn't lying. My objective has always been to make a lot of money. And whatever happened in the past, is in the past. And I've got no interest in doing things that won't make me any money."

"Well I wish you luck." Kurapika said, and Clary would have said so too, if she was sure they knew she was listening. She found his story sweet, and wished she had a way to help him.

"Thanks. But I don't need luck. I'm gonna become a hunter or die trying."

"No. A doctor." Kurapika corrected, smiling slightly.

"Could you please not look at me like that, Kurapika? It makes me a little nervous. Now come on. Lets go." He said, picking up the pace again.

"You alright now Leorio?" Kurapika asked.

"Yeah! I'm fine! Can't give up! I don't care stupid I look! I'd keep running even if I was naked! Pretend you don't know me if you want," Kurapika took off his tabard, following behind.

"Hey, the exit!" Gon said, Amber running next to them, Adriane and Demi a bit further back, closer to Carter.

"You look happy." Killua commented.

"Yeah, aren't you Killua?"

"Not really, it's just an exit. This test was so boring, it didn't feel like a game at all." Amber blinked, but didn't say anything. He thought it was supposed to be a game?

"Yeah, but it means we're one step closer to becoming hunters!"

"Why do you want to become a hunter so badly?"

"My dad's a hunter, that's why. I heard he's one of the best in the whole world!"

"You heard?" Amber and Killua asked in unison.

"Yeah! You see, I was raised by my aunt, and I only know my dad from a picture I have," Amber bit her lip and looked away, though she was still listening. "Though that doesn't bother me. I want to become a hunter just like him," Killua stared at him for a second, then looked forward and smiled just slightly. After a few seconds, Gon broke the silence, minus the panting and footsteps. "About that board," Killua looked at him. "Would you let me try it sometime? Maybe?" Killua smiled just slightly again and looked forward.

"Yeah, if you let me use your fishing rod, Gon." A couple of minutes later they all made it outside, squinting in the sunlight they'd been deprived of for the past multiple hours. They looked out over the swamp-like terrain in front of them, slightly shocked.

"These are the Millsy Wetlands, known by many as the Swindler's Swamp," Satotz explained. "We've got to make it through there in order to make it to the site for the second phase," Some large birds flew overhead, screeching. "There are many creatures unique to these wetlands, they are crafty, and voracious. They'll try to deceive you and make you their next meal." The door started coming down that they'd came out of, to the dismay of those who'd collapsed just before it. Satotz looked over his shoulder at them. "Follow me and stay focused. If you are deceived you are as good as dead."

"That doesn't make much sense," Leorio said. "How are they supposed to deceive us if we already know that's what they're trying to do."

"He's lying! Don't listen to him!" Someone shouted. They turned to look at the source of the yelling, to see a man come around the corner, looking a bit rough, holding a cloth containing some type of creature that sent chills down Amber and Clary's spine. "He's not the examiner, he's an imposter!" He pointed at Satotz. "The real examiner is me!"

"The real examiner, what's going on here?" Leorio asked.

"Yeah, then who have we been following?" The ninja questioned.

Amber and Clary looked at each other. Clary glanced at the two possible examiners, then back at Amber. "Who do you think the real one is?"

"I think it's the one we've been following. What's the point of faking being the examiner if you're not going to do anything? He didn't hurt anyone that we saw, and if he did there would have been people either protesting, or dead. He also could have lead us somewhere wrong, like down the tunnels of hallucination, but he didn't. He led us where the new guy is, and he wouldn't have just known where to go."

"Hey you, are you making this up or what? Can you prove this guy's an imposter?" Leorio demanded, and the new guy closed his eyes in irritation.

"Take a look at this." He said, tossing the cloth forward to full reveal the creature within. It only took Amber and Clary a minute to realize that it's face and hair was just like Satotz, minus the hair color. Demi and Adriane realized it a second later, and when Carter realized it she cringed slightly, starting to freak out from her confusion. Demi put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll figure this out soon. Then we can continue with the exam."

"Yeah, that's right. It's a man-faced ape," The new guy said after someone verbally pointed out the resemblance of the beast to Satotz. "One of the creatures that live in these wetlands. They disguise themselves as humans in order to lure in and trap their prey. This guy's no examiner, he's one of them!" He pointed at Satotz, sounding furious. "He wants to kill and eat every one of you, that was his plan all along!"

Leorio whirled around to face him. The ninja responded. "Come to think of it he does kind of look like one, but there's no way to tell for sure."

"Yeah, and down in the tunnels his stamina was inhuman!" Leorio added on. "We were dying and he hardly broke a sweat." Everyone started closing in on Satotz.

"So what do you think?" Gon asked Kurapika. "Is this part of the Hunter Exam?" Leorio asked if Gon could smell a difference in Satotz, but Gon said he had no scent. Kurapika stepped forward this time.

"There's another way we can find out. If he's really an examiner, he'll have a hunter's license card he can show us."

"A hunter's license card?" Gon asked, confused. Kurapika turned to face him.

"Only hunters are qualified enough to judge the exams. That's how we'll know."

Clary and Amber looked at each other. At least there was some logical way to test this. The new guy wasn't ready to give up though. "It won't prove anything, he stole my card! He jumped me and took everything I had!'

Suddenly, playing cards flew through the air and stabbed the man, killing him almost immediately. They all turned to look at the source, Hisoka. Clary and Amber took a step back, and Adriane and Carter took a step behind Demi, who put her arms out protectively a little bit. "I see, I see." The crowd was parted from Hisoka, for obvious reasons. He held a playing card in between his fingers, grinning slightly.

"What'd you do that for!?" Leorio demanded, making Amber's stomach turn. Was he really going to yell at Hisoka? Of all the people there?"

"Much easier than arguing about it, don't you think?" The creature suddenly leapt up into the air, trying to get away, but Hisoka wasn't having it. He simply through the playing card at it, looking at it out of the corner of his eye, the card stabbing it in the back before it fell to the ground, dead. Hisoka looked at Satotz. "I guess that settles it. You are the real thing. Examiner. Anyone worthy of being a true hunter would have no trouble dodging a simple attack like that." The card that had been thrown at Satotz remained in between the examiner's fingers for a moment, before he tossed it aside.

"I'll take that as a complement. But from now on, any attack directed at an examiner will be considered insubordination, which is grounds for immediate disqualification. Do I make myself clear?"

"Of course." Hisoka said, walking out of center-stage, as Amber was mentally refering his spot to.

"What if he had actually killed another examiner?" Clary asked quietly. "That would have cause chaos among the crowd most likely."

Amber nodded. "Everyone would be mad, and blinded by rage they'd attack him, and he'd probably kill us all in a matter of minutes." Kurapika explained how he knew the man was a fake when he said Satotz stole his card, then expressed his shock towards Hisoka's confidence in attacking an examiner. Amber looked at Hisoka out of the corner of his eye. He was standing in front of a guy with pins throughout his head, which sent chills down Amber's spine.

The two walked over to Gon and Killua. Killua asked if Gon was alright, which the two girls were wondering too since he was staring at the dead creature from the swamp. Satotz said there was no need to feel sorry for it, since it was a way of life for them, as some of the birds from before came down and started eating it, the card still inside of it. Then he announced it was time to proceed, which they all started up on doing with some distaste, but still did anyways, doing their best to ignore their already aching bodies.


End file.
